Never Forget
by DreamStar14
Summary: Life is not fair. It never is. Truth keeps making life hard for the Elric Brothers to remind them of that one important lesson about life. Everyone has to suffer, even your own children. Truth also wanted to remind them of that. Next Generation Fic, follows the 2003 Anime
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Heylo, people! I'm back! No, I am not dead! Anyways, this is something I created long time ago and I spent about five to six years perfecting and further developing the characters and the plot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, just my characters.

Note: This story follows the 2003 series, you know, the series where Ed and Al end up stuck in our world in the finale of the series. This is an AU sequel, where Ed and Al find a way home somehow and finally stay in Amestris for good.

But you could also tie this Brotherhood if you _really_ wanted to. It would be a major AU if you did and it would all be confusing, but you could.

Either way it's your choice.

~1~1~1~1~

**Never Forget**

_Chapter One: Graduation Day_

**February 16, 1932**

_Risembool, Amestris_

"When I grow up, Daddy, I'll be just like you!" The little-four-year old girl said enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, she never got the chance…

_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange._

**April 18, 1941**

_Central City, Amestris_

"Congratulations, Lucia Elric, you have officially graduated from Central School for the Blind," the principal told the thirteen-year-old girl in front of his desk. He wasn't blind, but he still cared for those were.

"Thank you, Mr. Hawkeye. I am honored by your compliment, sir," Lucia said.

He was Morris Hawkeye, the Principal of the Central Blind School, the younger brother to the famous sharp shooter Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye. The two were nothing alike. She had joined the military, but he had set up this school for all the blind children in Amestris. He liked to help rather than hurt. Yet despite their differences, they still got along just fine.

"And it only took what? Four years?"

"Three and a half, I believe," Lucia politely corrected.

Lucia Elric, the daughter of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, the Hero of the People. The two looked _exactly_ alike. If you didn't know any better, you could say that Lucia _was_ her father.

He had seen Major Edward Elric once, when Fullmetal was still only fifteen and he had seen him again when he was eighteen and then again when he was twenty. He had met him at his age of fifteen. Fullmetal was rude yet polite at the same time, had a very quick temper, and hated to be called short, as he himself found out the hard way. Luckily, his suit-of-armor for a younger brother was there to hold him back. However, when Fullmetal was twenty, he was _tall_, nearly as tall as Fuhrer Mustang was, yet about two inches shorter and was more mature and calm, although he still had the horrible temper, but had found it difficult to channel his anger now, yet the Fuhrer promoted him to _Colonel_.

Fullmetal, at age fifteen, was traveling constantly and thus, would be Central more often than not, but now that he had settled down in his hometown of Risembool, they saw less of him. Fuhrer Mustang only called him out on emergency duties and top-ranked missions, in short, only when they _needed_ him.

However, as much as Lucia may look like her father, her personality was _nothing_ like his. She was actually polite. She had manners. She was usually calm and she made friends at average speed. She spent most of her time practicing her music or reading a book, in Braille, of course, but reading nonetheless. She also relied on her friends and family more than Fullmetal had. She usually had no trouble confessing her feelings or anything like that. To add to that, she was a major klutz on some days. Actually, she was more like her uncle, Alphonse, rather than her father, Edward.

Morris, however, saw some similarities too. She had his temper and his stubbornness, not to mention his lack of height. When something was really troubling her, and he meant _really_ troubling her, she usually kept to herself, taking on the challenge to stand up on her own two legs.

What really surprised him was that she was a _really fast learner_. To graduate from the Blind School, it usually took about five years or so, but Lucia here had finished in only three and a half. That really caught him off guard.

But those eyes…

"You have your father's eyes, Miss Elric," he softly said.

That had caught her off guard. It was obvious that she had never heard that before. Her face became a bit red. "I-I do?"

"Yes," he replied, gently. "When I look into your eyes, Miss Elric, I see your father's same golden eyes looking back at me. They're the exact same color. They have the exact same fire in them, the same determination. It's the same with your hair as well."

She softly smiled before replying, "Thank you, sir."

A knock came to the door. Morris straightened up and called, "Come in."

The door opened and in stepped his older sister, Riza. She gave a small smile. "Hello, Morris."

"Riza. How are you this morning?"

"Excellent. I came here as fast as I could," she gave a quick salute.

"You did tell me to call you to notify you of her graduation date, right?"

Riza nodded and turned her blonde head in Lucia's direction. "Hello, Lucia."

Lucia turned her head and then her entire body in Riza's direction. Much to the two siblings' surprise, she was _almost_ accurate, just a couple of degrees off. "Good morning, Ms. Hawkeye."

"Please, Lucia, just call me Riza."

_Just call me Riza_…that sounded too casual for Lucia's taste. "Of course, Miss Riza."

She heard Riza laugh lightly. "That works too. Come with me, Lucia. The Fuhrer wants to see you."

Lucia's heart began to get a bit jumpy. What business did the Fuhrer have with her? She heard her principal's voice to her left.

"Go on, Lucia," Mr. Hawkeye said. "We'll talk a bit more later."

Lucia nodded and followed Riza out of the room, using her hands against the walls as guide rails. Once at what she presumed was the front door, Riza took her by the hand and led her outside.

"Woah, when Ryan said she looked like Fullmetal, he really wasn't kidding!"

"Calm down, Fuery, I believe you're scaring her," Havoc told his fellow officer.

"But look at her, Havoc. Fuery's right," Breda said. "She looks exactly like Edward."

"Except she's a girl, and she in her early teens, not in her early forties," Falman pointed.

"Stop it, all of you," Riza's voice rang clear, but the male voices did not stop.

Lucia was getting uncomfortable. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. Edmund…he would've loved this if these people were very attractive girls just a couple of years older than him. Attention was _his_ thing, not hers.

Edmund…she missed her older brother…how was he now? Was he as good an automail mechanic as their mother?

Speaking of automail, how was Almonzo? The last time she heard from him, he was in so much pain from his automail surgery. Shortly after she had gone blind, her cousin Almonzo had an unfortunate accident involving his arm and a sharp axe. When the wound had finally closed, he was missing his left arm from his forearm down to his fingers.

His surgery had been painful, not just for him, but for his parents, his two siblings, and the rest of his family. But it had been terribly painful for Lucia, not physically, mind you, but emotionally. To her, it was a reminder of her new disability and her age. She was the youngest, and always would be. She was blind and her great-grandmother had said that she may _never_ regain her sight again.

Nevertheless, Almonzo's mechanic was her own brother, Edmund.

1934. That was the year things began to go very wrong with the entire Elric family. Lucia's illness in January had hit them, not terribly hard, but still pretty hard. Lucia's friend, Momo, was also sick with the same illness, not to mention a few other people they knew (successfully turning it into an epidemic that swept the entire country), but in mid-July, Momo's illness had gone from _not-too-bad_ to _terrible_ and died before she got to see August. Many others died, about thirty-three in Risembool alone, but there were about nineteen in Amestris altogether who had survived. Lucia was one of them. It was originally thought that Lucia wouldn't survive to celebrate Christmas, but she had successfully passed New Year's before she was completely cured, even though she would be scarred for the rest of her life and may show a couple signs of it from time to time.

In 1935, things started to look a little better at first. But in late-march, Pinako had fallen and broken her hip. She had healed successfully, even if it took her all summer, but was forced to give up automail mechanizing for the rest of her life because of it. Now, she just supervised Winry and Edmund, unable to do much. Also that same year, Lucia's mother had gotten pregnant again, but she had a miscarriage. Yet another emotional impact that had hit Lucia hard. She would've been the older sister to a baby brother too…

1936 wasn't necessarily any better. It looked good to everyone else, but to Lucia, her world was getting _darker_. She didn't know why and that's why she panicked. She didn't show it openly, but the feeling was still there. The others first noticed it when she accidentally knocked down a glass that she was directly starring at. Edward, her father, took her to Central to see a more experienced doctor after Pinako was convinced that something was wrong with her, but was unable to find proof that she was right. This doctor, Dr. Knox, had checked up on her, but told only her father what he had found. Edward would not tell his daughter until the two were finally home after a week in Central: his daughter was going blind.

Sure enough, in mid-November, one morning Lucia woke and opened her eyes only to find…_absolutely nothing but darkness_. She was sure her scream of terror woke the entire countryside up.

And it happened on the day her father had promised to teach her alchemy, the real kind, from page one…

Then it was in 1937 that Almonzo had his axe incident. It was only until 1938 that Lucia was sent to the Central Blind School.

She was snapped back to reality by a sharp, clear voice ringing throughout the room. The voice was filled with authority, the annoyed tone, yet kindness too, as if he didn't want to hurt anyone, but he would if he had to.

"Sorry, Sir," said the voice named Fuery.

"Sir, here is Lucia Elric, as you requested," Riza's voice hovered over her head. That meant that Riza was standing right behind her.

"Of course." By the sound of his voice, the Fuhrer was…happy. He didn't sound mad or evil. His voice was gentle, yet it still held many forms of authority in it. The next time he spoke, Lucia could tell that he was speaking to her alone. "Don't worry, Lucia. You won't stay for long. I just wanted to get a gook look at you." A rustle of clothing and tight compression of air in front of her indicated that the Fuhrer had kneeled in front of her or something. "Pardon me," he said, before places a hand under her chin and gently lifting her head up. "Those eyes get me every time…" he whispered.

"Just like Fullmetal's?" the man named Falman said.

"_Exactly_ like her father's…" the Fuhrer calmly said back.

"Then she really is the daughter of Fullmetal…" Fuery said.

"I think we already established that, Sergeant," Havoc replied calmly, yet with a tone of awe in voice, which meant that he was the same as Sergeant Fuery.

"Wait…" Breda's voice stopped them all. "Have any of you noticed that she hasn't looked at _any_ of us once since she got here?" The looks of the others' faces and the dead silence in the air indicated that they were all pondering on that one detail that Breda has brought up all of a sudden.

"Either she's not observant or she has a really strong composure," Fuery wondered aloud.

"Or it's because of the fact that she's blind," the Fuhrer interrupted. Judging by the tone of his voice, he already knew about Lucia's one disability.

Another dead silence hung in the air. Only Havoc dared the break it.

"_Blind_?"

"Yes, Havoc. She's blind."

"As in can't see a thing?"

"_Yes_, Fuery." Lucia could tell that he starting to get angry.

"How did she go blind?"

"I don't know, Breda. You don't you ask her?"

"How long as she been blind?"

"Again, Falman, _I don't know_. All the facts I know are just the ones saying she's blind and she's been insecure ever since she became blind."

"An illness," Lucia broke her own personal silence, getting startles from everyone the room. It was the first time she has spoken since she arrived. "You know…the one that swept the entire country a few years ago…I had gotten it and was one of the lucky few that had survived but two years later, the rods and cones in my eyes or something like that started to get weak, until my world finally…became black…" she fell silent. She had said way too much that she normally did. Was it because that these men were friends of her father? Or was it because the Fuhrer actually had a nice and friendly personality? Maybe it was both. Either way, she felt herself starting to open up to them.

"Wow…" the Fuhrer said. He sounded like he was smiling. Not like a maniac, but was a friend. "Never thought that someone so small would be so strong…"

Lucia growled just as Havoc said, "Just like her father."

Breda laughed aloud. "She acts just like her father too! Did anyone else just hear her growl?"

"I did," Fuery said, smiling.

"I am aware that I am a bit…_small_…for my age, but unlike boys, girls tend to grow to a certain height and stay there for a certain period of time," Lucia politely retorted.

Hawkeye, still behind Lucia, laughed lightly. "That's true."

"Anyways, I'm sure we all have to get back to work. Lucia, it was nice meeting you," the two shook hands, "and I hope you get back home safe and sound. And if you could, give this folder to your father when you see him." Lucia held out her hand and the Fuhrer placed a thick folder in it.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too, sir," Lucia said. "If you don't mind me asking, what is _your_ name?"

"Roy Mustang. And Ryan says hello, by the way."

Lucia smiled. "And tell him I said hello, too."

"Of course."

Lucia waved goodbye to the others before Hawkeye ushered her out into the hall.

Morris Hawkeye gave her the news when she got back. Lucia could finally go home to Risembool, but she was invited to come back and visit from time to time. She had also been told that her teacher, Lisa Campbell, who was not blind either, to be her guard and guide until she got home.

Morris was one of the few that had seen her and Lisa off from Central Station. _He_ was also there to see her off. Lucia smiled when she heard his voice.

"Goodbye, Ryan! Don't forget to write!" Lucia called.

"I won't! Don't forget to _reply_!" Ryan called back.

Lucia merely smiled as she felt the train move faster and faster. She sighed.

_She wanted to see his face so badly..._

~1~1~1~1~

A/N: Well? How was it? Did I do alright? Review, please, and tell me. Or favorite or something.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Heylo, people! I'm back! No, I am not dead! Anyways, this is something I created long time ago and I spent about five to six years perfecting and further developing the characters and the plot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, just my characters.

Note: This story follows the 2003 series.

And someone is coming home in this chapter, as you can tell by the title.

~2~2~2~2~

**Never Forget**

_Chapter Two: Brilliant Homecoming_

**April 18, 1941**

_Central City, Amestris_

As the train left Central Station and as she left Ryan, Lucia let out a soft sigh.

_She wanted to see his face so badly..._

_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange._

**April 18, 1941**

_3 Miles Away from Central, towards the East_

Lisa Campbell noticed her student's face. It was melancholy, worried, and yet happy all at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.

Lucia turned her golden-blonde head towards her teacher. "Huh?"

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy that you're finally going home? Three and a half years ago, that's all you ever talked about."

"Oh, I am happy. It's just…I hate saying goodbye," Lucia said, turning her head back towards the window.

"I know what you mean," Lisa said. Lucia let out a soft smile.

"Well, anyways, back to talking about home," Lucia changed the subject.

"How did your dad and uncle manage to find a way back?" Lucia looked at her teacher once again.

"What do you mean?" Lucia asked.

Lisa continued, "Your dad and your uncle were both pulled to the other side of the gate, and on that side they said that alchemy could not work, so how did they get back here?"

Lucia took a while to remember the story that her father had told her about it. Only until just recently did she realize that it was reality instead of just a bedtime story. When she finally remembered it, she smiled ever wider. "Oh, yes. I believe he told me once. Let's see…where did he first begin his story?"

**October 7, 1925**

_Munich, Germany_

Edward Elric walked down the streets of Munich in a bad mood. It was fall season and it was cold. He never liked the cold. Every time, his ports would always act up, giving him pain and discomfort. Al had sent him down to the market to pick up a few things. At first, Al said that he would do it himself, but Ed, even though he just got back from work, said that he would go himself.

Besides the fact that today was not Ed's day, things had gotten a little rough in Germany ever since Al passed through the gate two years ago. Inflation had gotten worse, Noah had come down with a serious illness and couldn't be at the apartment all by herself, and police were roaming the streets 24/7. Most of all, Al was getting an uneasy feeling about Hitler, and he kept urging to Ed to hurry and find out way back home or move out of Germany and go somewhere else. Ed's excuses were "alchemy doesn't work on this side of the Gate" and "Noah's too sick to go anywhere". Thus, the three were stuck in Germany.

When Ed reached the apartment, he reached into his pocket to get his key, but realized with a churn of his stomach that he left his key inside. He sighed, exasperated.

"Today _really_ isn't my day…" he muttered, and then subjected to knocking. "Al? You in there? I left my key in my bedroom by accident. Can you let me in?"

There was a pause until he heard muffled footsteps and a voice softly calling, "Sure, hold on!" There was another silence that seemed like forever until the door finally clicked open. On the other side of the doorway stood his 15-year-old brother, his long light brown hair swept up in a ponytail, a small burn on his hand, looking up at his brother with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about the minor delay, Brother. I was constantly pulled between fixing dinner and taking care of Noah while you were gone."

Edward closed the door and locked it, handing Al the grocery bag, still disbelieving that he was _taller_ than his _younger_ brother. As he took his coat off, he said, "How's Noah? And what happened to your hand?"

"She's doing a little better. She can sit up now. She's in the living room, on the couch, if you want to go see her. And I burned myself by accident," Al answered, wringing his hand.

"I was only gone for forty-five minutes," Ed said, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a box of band-aids. Taking one out, he said, "And today just isn't my day either."

"You left your key in the bedroom. Yeah, I noticed that," Al said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Not only that, but it's colder than usual," Ed said, taking the band-aid out of the package and putting the box away.

"Automail acting up again?" Al asked, worried, letting Ed bandage his slightly burned hand.

"Yeah, and you need to be more careful," Ed said, focusing the attention of Al's hand. "It could have been a lot worse."

"At least I _can_ feel things, now," Al gently retorted, turned his own attention back on dinner.

_He's right_, Ed thought. _At least he's in a body where he can feel things._

Ed didn't regret putting Al back in the body he was born with one bit. Even though it made a little more protective of his younger brother, Ed actually enjoyed the feeling of having human Al around. It meant that Edward had succeeded. He could let go of all his guilt and remorse. And although, Al was physically behind Ed by five years, it still didn't let him down. Al still had his memories and they were together again.

Al called out the cue for dinner and Ed came into the living room to see Noah sitting on the couch.

"Edward?" Noah called softly. Her vocal cords had gotten weak because of her illness.

"Yeah," Edward responded, kneeling beside her. "You need anything?"

"Not really. I just wanted to see your face before I pass on…"

Ed nodded before his stomach churned again in sudden realization. _'Before I pass on…'_

Ed didn't trust himself to speak. He opened his mouth to say something. Anything. He intended to say _'You'll be okay'_ but what came out instead was "Alphonse, get in here!"

With a bang (he had dropped a pan), Al appeared in the doorway. "What? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Ed, still unable to speak correctly, merely motioned for Al to come closer. Al, obviously frightened at what he would fine, did what his brother asked. _Whatever it is, it must be bad to scare Brother like this_, he thought.

The closer Al got, the more he realized that it wasn't about Ed. It was about Noah. He kneeled beside his brother, looking at Noah the entire time.

"Edward…Alphonse…" Noah croaked out.

"Yeah?" Al responded after seeing that his brother could not.

"Thank you…for everything…" were her last words before falling asleep forever. Al gave a soft gasp and felt a single tear fall down his cheek. This reminded him too much of Trisha's death.

A gentle, yet firm, warm hand on his back reminded and reassured Al that he was not alone.

"I never realized that she would die like Mom did," Al managed to get out, his throat tight with emotions.

Edward narrows his eyes sadly. "It's okay…death isn't something that's easily overcome in this world either…"

**October 8, 1925**

_Munich Cemetery_

Not many people came to Noah's funeral. In fact, it was only Ed, Al, Hughes, and Gracia. Hughes and Gracia left a couple hours ago, leaving Ed and Al behind.

"Brother?" Al's throat was still hardened with emotions.

"Yeah?" It took a while for Ed to respond.

"Now what?"

Ed hesitated before speaking. He thought about that question. What would the two do now? Keep living in Munich? Or move to London or somewhere?

"We find a way home."

"Home is only a few blocks down," Al pointed.

"Not that home, Al. _Our_ home. You know, the one that we burned down years ago…"

Al looked up at his brother and gave a small smile. He sniffed and said, "Yeah…but, how?"

"London." Al looked at, confused. "Dad left some notes there, at a house that he wrote the address for that somewhere in the apartment. He told me to go there whenever I wanted to see them."

"They're about alchemy?" Al asked, not believing what he was hearing.

Ed responded quickly, "Yep. They could be useful. Dad was, after all, studying constantly to get _me_ back home."

"So then…?" Al asked, his smile becoming wider.

"Yep," Ed turned to his brother one of his signature smirks. "We're taking a road trip to London."

**October 23, 1925**

_London, England_

Ed and Al, cold and shivering, looked at the door of the house that their father had written down.

"Are you sure this is the house?" Al asked.

"I'm sure."

Edward hesitantly knocked. After a while, it seemed that no one was home. "Yeah, Brother, you're _sure_…" Al teased.

"Can it, Alphonse!" The door suddenly opened. The man was vaguely familiar.

"Hello, boys," the man said.

"Dr. Marcoh?!" Alphonse asked.

"No, Al, I'm pretty sure it's his counterpart," Ed reminded him. "But just in case, does the word 'Philospher's Stone' mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does. I gave you my notes, remember? You are the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, are you not?"

Ed and Al looked at each other in disbelief. "Only the real Marcoh would know about 'Fullmetal', Brother," Al pointed out. Ed only nodded.

"Yes, it really is me, boys." He let the two boys in. "You must have come for your father's research. I had expected you two to come two years ago, when you father passed on,"

"Well, we had something holding us back," Ed said. "A friend of ours got ill."

"I understand," Marcoh said. "So your friend is…?"

"Yeah," Al answered before Ed could. Even after about a month, Noah was still a touchy subject.

For a moment, it seemed like Marcoh was praying. "May your friend rest in peace. Anyways…" Marcoh opened up a door to his right. "This will be your room, boys. My room is right across the hall. At the end of this hallway, beyond that door, is the library. You find your father's notes and a few of my own in there. Help yourselves."

**April 18, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

"_The_ Dr. Marcoh? They stayed at his place in this London?" Lisa asked.

Lucia nodded. "Yep. At least that's what they told me."

"And this Noah. Those two must have really liked her."

"She was an amazing friend to them. It was really hard for my dad to talk about her, so my uncle told that part of the story himself, so Dad wouldn't have to."

"I see, so it has always been a touchy subject for them?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, ever since she died. Even though I never knew her, I still respect her. Dad and Uncle Al always keep a picture of her on our bulletin board, you know, the one with all the pictures on it. It's in black and white, not color, but it's been there ever since I could remember…"

Lisa nodded. "Continue, please…"

Lucia smiled, not taking her unseeing eyes off of the countryside. "With pleasure…"

**November 4, 1925**

_London, England_

After a few days of researching, Ed finally collapsed. Al had collapsed hours ago. But it was the final point for Ed now.

"Dammit," Ed muttered. "This is harder than I thought it would be…"

"Alchemy doesn't work on this side, remember?" Al reminded him. "Alchemy books are a rare occurrence here. We're lucky Dad wrote this place down in the first place."

"You're right, Al," Ed said.

"Anyways, I think I just thought of something."

"Okay, shoot," Ed said, turning his face towards his brother.

"You know how you got the Gate open the first time?"

"Yeah, I had a cut on my cheek. I wiped by hand over the cut and then pressed it on the array."

"Exactly, you used your own blood. And what about the permanent Gate on November 8th?"

"Dad was sacrificed. There was blood everywhere," Ed said, silently shuddering at the memory.

"Blood…there was blood in both cases…" There was a rustle of paper and chalk writing something. Ed looked up to see what Al had written, drawn actually. He watched as Al bit his index finger, as blood trickled down his finger and as Al placed his hand on the array that he had drawn on the table. To Ed's surprise, there was a flash of blue light and the flat paper that Al had left in the middle of his array has folded into a paper crane. "See? You also said that energy from this side transferred over to be used for our transmutations, remember?" Ed nodded. "So it's only natural that our own energy would be used in transmutations on _this_ side of the Gate."

"Equivalent Exchange…" Ed muttered.

"Exactly," Al finished.

Ed paused and then reached out to ruffle Al's light brown hair. "Al, you are a bonafide genius."

**April 18, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

"They really did find a way to use alchemy there," Lisa said. "I thought it was a joke at first. But, it really explains a lot of things."

"Yep," Lucia, unseeing eyes staring at the countryside.

"Lunch, anyone?" the snack cart lady asked them.

"Yes, please," Lisa said. "Lucia, do you want anything?"

"Tuna salad sandwich, please," Lucia said. "Anyways, back to my story…"

**November 26, 1925**

_London, England_

"Ready, Al?"

"Ready, Brother," Al answered.

"You boys sure about this?" Marcoh asked.

"Yeah, we're sure," Ed said. "Don't worry about us."

"But if it fails, boys, you two could be in serious trouble. You two could be injured terribly."

"It's alright, Dr. Marcoh. You are a doctor. You are our control, remember? You'll be there in case anything goes wrong," Ed said.

"Of course," Marcoh said.

After pricking his own finger, Al gave Ed the pocket knife. Ed did the same.

"This reminds me of the night we tried to bring Mom back," Al said.

"Yeah," Ed said. "But we'll be okay. We're smarter now. We have someone looking after us this time."

Al nodded.

"Ready?" Ed asked.

"Ready."

"Now!"

The two placed their hands on the circle and Marcoh watched as a blinding light filled the room. Then the light disappeared, taking the two brothers with it.

"I suppose it worked after all," Marcoh said. "Good luck, you two…"

**November 27, 1919**

_Central HQ, Amestris_

Fuery sat down after handing his stack of paperwork over to Havoc. "Mustang really is working our butts off."

"True," Breda said. "Well, he is the Fuhrer now. And he's got more work than he did at Colonel."

"Plus the fact that he has to work directly with the old Assembly," Havoc reminded them. "He didn't plan on that."

"No, he didn't. That's why it seems that he's more angry than usual," Hawkeye added.

Mustang came out of his office. Sure enough, he was angry. "Damn Assembly…"

"What's wrong, Sir?" Hawkwye asked.

"Damn Assembly wouldn't tell me a damn thing. They said they had solved a certain case and closed it. And then they said that they had sent over two people to talk to me about something."

"They did tell you something, Sir," Havoc said.

"I guess, but why'd they have to be too damn _vague_?!" Mustang was not in the mood for any silliness.

A knock came on the door. "I guess that's our two visitors," Falman said, getting up to open the door. He opened the door, but got the surprise off his life.

"Edward…Alphonse…is that really you guys?"

Edward chuckled a bit before answering, "We're home…"

Mustang slapped them both across their heads. Alphonse hid behind Ed, who was confused but not scared.

"What the hell was that for, you bastard?!"

"For scaring the crud out of me! That's what!" Mustang bellowed. He then walked over to the two and gave them both a hug, surprising Ed especially.

"Mustang…?" Ed asked.

"Sir?" Al asked softer than Ed.

"Welcome home, you two," Mustang whispered.

Al said nothing, but merely smiled and hugged back. Ed hesitated before doing the same.

"It's good to be back…"

**April 18, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

Lucia's gaze never wavered from the now setting sun.

"Only until December 21 did Dad and Uncle Al finally go home back to Risembool. Best early Christmas present for Mom and Great-Grandma Pinako," Lucia finished.

"Wow," Lisa said. "That was a nice story, but I never thought that it would take all day to tell."

"Oh, that's only Part 1. It's getting late, isn't it? Nonetheless, I'll tell you Part 2 tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright. Good night, Lucia."

"Good night, Miss Campbell…"

~2~2~2~2~

A/N: Well? How was it? Did I do alright? Review, please, and tell me. Or favorite or something.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Heylo, people! I'm back! No, I am not dead! Anyways, this is something I created long time ago and I spent about five to six years perfecting and further developing the characters and the plot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, just my characters.

Note: This story follows the 2003 series.

~3~3~3~3~

**Never Forget**

_Chapter Three: Luck and Karma_

**April 19, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

Lucia yawned widely. "That was probably the worst sleep I've ever had."

Lisa looked at her confused. "Why would you say that?"

Lucia thought it was perfectly obvious. "I'm not used to sleeping on trains. My dad and uncle are, I'm sure, but me? Not so much."

"Oh, yes. You said you were going to tell me Part 2 of your story today," Lisa said, calmly. On the inside, she was interested to know one of her top student's back story. It wasn't every day you got Lucia Elric to tell you one of her childhood stories. She was normally quiet, sometimes shy, but very quiet. If you didn't know any better, it would be like she wasn't there at all.

But by the way Lucia talked about her childhood and her family, you could tell that they all held a special place in her heart.

"I believe I did," Lucia said, thinking. "Ah, yes. Of course. I remember now."

_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange._

**Febuary 21, 1928**

_Risembool, Amestris_

Edward Elric watched his lovely wife, Winry, sleep. Not even six hours ago, his new daughter was born. She didn't have a name yet, because Ed promised Winry that she could name the baby if it was a girl. (If it was a boy, then Ed could name him, just like with Edmund.)

He just couldn't help but looking between his wife in their bed and his daughter in his arms, both sleeping the day away. Both were beautiful and he would protect them. He had to thank Pinako and Mei later, because they were the only medics close enough that could help in a situation like that.

But his daughter was a miracle. Ed never believed in miracles until he saw his daughter (and son). That was saying something because she hadn't opened her eyes yet, or cried.

After a while, though, Ed too fell asleep beside Winry. A few hours later, though it seemed like only minutes to Ed, the great Fullmetal woke up. He looked to the side to see Winry staring down at him with her big blue eyes. In her arms, she held the bundle of blankets that was their daughter.

"Morning, honey," Winry said, sweetly, when she saw that he was awake. "I thought you were gonna sleep through the whole day."

"You need the rest, Win, not me," Ed said, acknowledging and stressing the fact that Winry had carried the baby for nine months and had been the one to deliver it and go through all the pain, not him.

Equivalent Exchange? Maybe.

"But it was worth it, Ed," Winry replied gently, looking down at the baby in her arms.

Scratch that. Definitely.

"We still have to name her," Ed said. "It's your turn."

"Oh, it is, isn't it?" The married couple was interrupted by a cute, tiny yawn from their yawn. "Look, she's opening her eyes."

Ed leaned closer to get a better view, but what he found shook him to the core.

Their daughter's eyes were gold. Just like his.

Instead of being disappointed, Ed was...happy. Maybe his son hadn't inherited any of his genes, blonde hair and blue eyes his son had, like Winry, but at least their daughter had. Even though her hair was just a little tuft of fuzz, Ed was positive that her hair would be golden-blonde, just like his.

"Let's name her..." Winry thought. "Lucia..."

Lucia, that was a name that meant light. Light. Golden hair and golden eyes. That was light alright.

"Sounds great, Win, good job," Ed responded, not removing his gaze from baby Lucia, who took one look at him and made a big toothless smile.

And maybe, just maybe, she would be into alchemy.

**August 27, 1932**

_Risembool, Amestris_

The Elrics lived in one big house that Ed and Al had built extending from Rockbell Automail. Not only did Ed's side of the family live there, but Pinako and Al's did too. They always did. Each side of the family, though, had their own side of the house, Ed's in the left wing and Al's in the right wing. Pinako stayed in the center as a mediator.

It turned out that Lucia was intersted in alchemy. With her father's help, she had started by the simple things like making dolls and small statues. As Edmund got older, he showed a great interest in automail, so Winry took her son under her wing in that category.

Mei was a charming young lady. She has Al's age and her personality was a cross between Winry and Alphonse. She was sweet and kind and very helpful, but when she was angry, she was scary. She was Xingese and she could do alkahestry, but that didn't matter, because Ed had a lot of fun learning about alkehestry, to be perfectly honest. It was like alchemy, but at the same time, it was completely different.

After an awkward meeting and three years of her living in the extended house (which were long and annoying, but actually really fun, because Ed and Winry were playing matchmaker), they finally realized their true feelings for the other and, such, got together.

Now, they were all a big happy family.

Syaoron and Meilin were the twins. They did everything together and they both cried and were sad when they separated.

Almonzo, Al and Mei's oldest son, also showed an interest in alchemy and was passing Lucia in all areas, which made Lucia mad, because "at least by father has a super cool nickname!" which was Fullmetal, and "your father doesn't! So take that!" This particular scene was happening right now.

Al was beside Ed, and he said, "This somehow wounds me."

Ed merely laughed and pulled his little brother into a noogie. "We're brothers, Al, and those are our kids. It's supposed to hurt."

Both kids shuddered and gasped at the other and then whipped their heads around to look at their fathers.

"DADDY!" Both yelled and then stomped up to their fathers.

Almonzo spoke first, as if he wanted to prove that he was dominant. "Whose statue is better? Mine or hers?"

He held his out. Lucia did the same. Al took them both and studied them closely. Ed looked over his little brother's shoulder, and Al would have shrugged him off, but he was too busy studying the two statues, but both were really good.

"They're both wonderful," Al said. "Neither one is better than the other."

"Lucia added the eye details," Ed muttered. Al merely stared at him and then looked back at Lucia's. Ed was right. Unlike Almonzo's, Lucia's statue had the eyes complete with details.

Lucia looked like she was going to explode with happiness.

Al thought for a minute and then turned back to the kids. "That doesn't mean hers is better, Edward. It just means that Lucia pays attention to detail. They're both wonderful, kids. Good job, both of you." Ed nodded in agreement.

Both kids smiled at the compliment.

Ed took Almonzo's statue. "You mind if I keep this, Almonzo?"

The young boy shook his head, "Sure, go ahead, Uncle Ed. But why mine?"

"So I won't be biased and keep saying that my daughter is the best. It'll be a reminder of my promise not to do that."

Alphonse smiled and said, "I'll keep Lucia's then, so I won't be biased about my son either."

Ed and Al turned to each other and fist-bumped. "Deal," they both said at the same time.

**April 19, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

Lisa giggled with her hand over her mouth, as there was food in there. The two were eating breakfast. "You and your cousin fought a lot, I'm guessing."

Lucia smiled. "Yeah, we did. But when I lost my sight, I lost my ability and feelings to fight with Almonzo constantly. All I could think about was darkness. Now, I can't think of anything but his face."

Lisa merely smiled. "Continue, please."

"Right, sorry," Lucia said, taking a bite of her toast before talking again.

**January 12, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

Winry looked over at her six-year-old daughter, who was walking the short blockade along the side of the road.

"Lucia, please, get down from there before you fall. Besides, you shouldn't be out in the cold air in the first place. You're sick."

"Momma, relax. I'm not going to fall. And I wanted to come. Daddy said that you needed someone to keep you company, so I decided to go instead of him. And it's just a little cold, Momma. I'm fine."

Winry smiled. Every time, she said this, Lucia would respond with that very same answer. But every time she said that, her smile would fade, thinking about the epidemic sweeping the entire country of Amestris right now.

Lucia focused in the blockage she was walking on top of. If she fell, her mother would be there to catch her, right? She wasn't worried. She looked up at the sky and warm, yet cold sun and she felt...dizzy.

She wasn't worried. She had gotten dizzy spells before this. They had started a couple weeks ago after she had come home from playing with her dear friend Momo. As she was coming in, she had stopped and leaned on the doorframe for support until it went away. When it did, she was faced with approximately nine "Are you okay's?", a gently, worried bark from the old dog, Den, and a comforting nudge on the cheek from Xiao-Mei, Aunt Mei's pet baby panda. She had responded with "Yeah, I'm fine" and went along her way. Over the course of those two weeks, she had more dizz spells like that, which usually lasted about thirty seconds or so.

But when Lucia felt her insides become ice cold and then hot and churning, then she felt worried. That hadn't happened before. Lucia managed to stop herself from shaking too badly, so she jumped off of the blockade and onto the dirt path along side her mother, but she couldn't stop herself from coughing.

Winry watched as her daughter started coughing. She placed a comforting hand on her daughter's back. "It's alright, Lucia. Let it all out."

Lucia let out a cough that really hurt her throat. That must have ended the coughing fit, because she stopped. Lucia looked down at her hand and received the shock of her life.

She had coughed up blood. She muttered, "Momma..." before getting another dizzy spell.

Luckily, Winry caught her before she fell to the ground and got a concussion from completely blacking out.

**January 13, 1934**

Risembool, Amestris

When Lucia finally woke up, the sun was shining, but the curtains were closed. She looked to the other side of her bed and saw her father's sharp golden eyes intently watching over her like a hawk. When he saw that was awake, he said nothing, but his eyes softened up a great deal.

Lucia coughed a bit before responding. "H-Hey..." Her throat sounded dry and it hurt a lot.

"Hey," he softly replied.

"W-What happened?" She felt like crying. She was hurting all over. Her stomach hurt, her chest hurt, her throat hurt, and she hurt all over.

"You passed out, Lu. You're sick," was her father's soft and gentle reply.

"O-oh..." That's why she was hurting all over.

"You need to stay in bed for a while. You can't up, but if you need anything, sweetie, don't hesitate."

She nodded, not wanting to speak and hurt her voice even more. Gratefully, she downs the entire glass of water that her father gave her.

"Thanks, Daddy," she whispered. He stopped after putting her empty glass on the table. Then, he softly smiled.

"You're welcome, sweetie." His facial expression turned firm, yet kind. "Now, go to sleep."

She nodded before lying back down against her pillow and soft bed. As her father pulled the covers, she closed her eyes and felt a cool washcloth on her forehead.

Edward kissing her cheek gently before whispering, "Sweet dreams, Lucia. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

**April 19, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

"Oh my goodness," Lisa commented, regretting eating her breakfast as fast as she did. "Were you okay, though?"

To her great surprise, her student shook her head. "Let me continue, please."

Lisa nodded, not saying another word.

**February 21, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

During the time span when Lucia got sick all the way to now, they had all gone to Central to get vaccinations from the virus that was spreading. Ed had stayed behind to watch over Lucia. When they had come back five days later, Ed had gone by himself and left Alphonse and Winry to watch over Lucia. Again, he had come back five days later.

If they hadn't gone, her brother and three cousins would have been stuck not seeing Lucia until she got better.

During those five days, Lucia woke up about three times, asking for her father, but her uncle and mother said that he was getting "special protection" from her illness, which was the truth.

On this particular day, however, Lucia woke up to her cousin Meilin's hyper smile. She struggled to sit up and Syaoron helped her do so. Standing behind Meilin were her older brother and her oldest cousin. Just those four were in the room with her.

"Good morning!" Meilin said, handing her youngest cousin, and favorite, a tray filled with breakfast. "Mommy and Aunt Winry made it for you. Eat up and enjoy!"

Lucia took a small bite of her toast and let is swallow before replying, "Thank you. It's delicious. But what's with the special treatment?"

"Happy birthday, Lulu." Lucia stared at Syaoron.

"How does it feel to be seven?" Edmund asked.

"It is my birthday, isn't it? Sorry, I haven't really noticed," Lucia confessed. "And it feels great. It would feel greater if I wasn't sick, but still. I appreciate all the hard work you guys are putting into to helping me. It lets me know you still care."

"Of course we do," Almonzo said. "And just because we fight doesn't mean I don't care about you either," he said in a low voice, holding out a small object in his hands.

Lucia reached a weak hand out and Almonzo place it in her hands. It was wooden flute. Lucia smiled.

"Do you like it? We all pitched in and helped make it, but Big Brother deserves most of the credit," Meilin said, as Lucia continued to eat her breakfast.

"Yes. Thank you, all..."

**April 18, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

Lucia wasn't getting better. In fact, she was getting worse. She kept coughing, mostly blood, and her throat hurt terribly, like it was cut up inside or something. One night, she even threw up. It was not pretty. Luckily, tonight was not a repeat.

Why?

Because, on this particular night, Lucia woke up to hushed voices around her bed. At first, she wanted to let them know she was awake and tell them that she was tired and wanted to sleep, but their topic of choice was suddenly very interesting, as were the people who were talking.

"Bad news, Ed. Remember Lucia's friend Momo?" She knew that voice; it was her great-grandma Pinako.

"Yeah, what about her?" The voice that was music to her ears, her father, answered.

"Apparently, her mother called and Momo's sick with the same illness as Lucia," Pinako answered.

"Is it just as bad?" Her mother, Winry, asked.

Apparently, Pinako shook her head. "No. It's a little better than Lucia's, but then again, according to the Fuhrer, the epidemic is sweeping the entire country. Forty people have already died in Central alone, and the numbers are still growing."

"How many have we lost here in Risembool?" Uncle Al asked.

"Luckily, but, at the same time, not, about only five. I hear old man Johnson down the road aways might be six," Pinako replied, her voice grim.

Both brothers sighed, Ed like he was stressed and Al in complete sadness.

"Don't you feel like we have to do something, Brother?" Al asked his older brother.

"There's really nothing we can do, Honey," her Aunt Mei answered him, "except take care of Lucia. That already takes a lot of hard work."

"Mei's right, Al," Winry responded. "Let's focus of Lucia first. Speaking of Lucia, what's her status?"

Lucia kept really quiet for this. The adults were talking about her.

"She's not getting any better," Pinako replied. "She's only getting worse. She vomited the other night, didn't she?"

"Yeah," her father responded. "That was the only time. If she threw up again, she hasn't said anything."

"We would've known," Winry cut in, making a point. "Lucia can't get out of bed."

"Well, she can," Mei started.

"But, she wouldn't be able to move very far, or long, or fast enough to actually clean up the mess," Winry finished, realizing that Mei also had a point.

At this point, Lucia felt the washcloth already on her forehead come off and then a few seconds later, it was placed back on, only a lot colder and wetter.

"I heard that this virus is deadly," Winry said, and in that split second, Lucia realized that her father was uncharacteristically quiet. "H-How..." She couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

That was when her father spoke up. "How long does Lucia have, Granny?"

It took a while for Pinako to answer. "I'll be honest. It would be a miracle if she survived to celebrate Christmas..."

With that, Lucia fell asleep with two things on her mind: Momo, her dear friend, was sick too, and she might not live for very long.

**August 2, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

On this lovely Thursday morning, Lucia woke up to coughing, just like every other day. As she coughed, her throat swelled up in pain and made it difficult to breathe. She aimlessly grabbed the nearest handkerchief and coughed into it. When she gave the last cough, which hurt even worse than the ones before, she looked at the handkerchief. There was a big blotch of red on it, but unlike the first time she coughed up blood, she didn't shriek at it. She was used to blood now, whether she coughed it up or she threw it up, both of which had become familiar in the house. It didn't matter.

Pinako came bounding in, with Lucia's breakfast, just as Lucia leaned back into the mound of pillows behind her.

"Good morning, dear," Pinako said, setting the tray on the table. Lucia looked up and gave her a weak smile. "How are you feeling today?"

It was a stupid question, Pinako knew that, but as long as Lucia still remained in the dark about her possible death, they all had to ask that.

"I'm just as good as I was yesterday," Lucia said, knowing the reason behind the question. "Thank you for asking. Oh, Grandma?"

Before Pinako could walk out after fluffing Lucia's pillows and readjusting her blanket and such, Lucia asked the question, or one of the them, that all five adults were dealing hoping that she wouldn't ask.

"Yes, dear?"

"How's Momo?" Lucia knew it was risky, but she had to know.

Pinako hesitated before telling her great-granddaughter to truth. "I'm sorry, dear, but your friend Momo passed away last Friday..."

Lucia's world came crashing down. Sure Momo wasn't family, but she was a family friend. She was like family. She knew what passed away meant. It meant that Momo was dead. Gone forever.

Pinako quickly went to Edward and apologized for letting the truth spill.

**August 6, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

It had been about four days. Lucia has not spoken to anyone. She ate and drank and slept, but that was it. Winry wanted to go in there and talk to her, but Edward and Alphonse both held her back.

"Why are you two stopping me?" She asked.

"She's grieving, Winry," Al replied, solemnly. "Ed and I went through the same thing with Mom, Nina, and Noah, and other people. You went through the same thing with your parents."

Ed agreed, saying, "We all know what she's going through, Win. Let her have some time to herself. And if anyone is going to get her to talk, it's me."

It was true. Lucia loved her father dearly, more than the others, and so, she thought it would be rude to ignore him too.

Winry hesitated before calming down. "Alright..."

"Thanks, Win," Ed said, pressing his lips to his wife's temple.

Edward entered his daughter's bedroom, cautiously. "Lucia?" She gently asked.

Lucia lifted her head up a little ways, to let him know that she knew he was there and that she was listening.

"Lucia, I want to talk to you for a minute."

Lucia turned her head carefully his way, hesitant to do so.

He sat on the edge of her bed and looked into her golden eyes. "Are you okay?"

She finally spoke a verbal answer. "Not really." Her voice had cracked and she sounded parched, but he knew it wasn't from talking a lot lately. It was because of the illness.

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help," he said. This was a partial lie. He knew what was wrong. Momo had just died and Momo was her best friend, besides Edward himself.

"Momo's...gone...she's gone forever," Lucia said.

"I know, sweetie," Ed softly replied. His arms were wide open and Lucia pressed herself against her father and let her tears out.

And they just stayed like that for a couple hours, maybe even longer than that.

"Hey, Daddy?" Lucia sniffed.

"Hey, what?" He asked.

Lucia coughed shortly before regaining her voice and her question. "Am I going to die too?"

Something in Ed's throat had lodged itself there completely. The lump would not go down. It felt like Ed was going to cry now.

"I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know," he said, mentally adding, _'I hope not.'_

**October 18, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

It was that point in Lucia's illness that let them know she really was dying. Lucia was now too sick to eat anything. If she did, she just threw it back up. Water, though, was an exception.

No medicine worked now, not even the stomach stuff.

Lucia was starting to experience some previous memories of her life, successfully experiencing the term "life flashing before your eyes". It really was.

She remembered when Edmund had decided to take up automail. She remembered her very first transmutation. She remembered her father and uncle's promise to not be unbiased for their own kids. She remembered meeting Momo for the first time. She remembered all those bedtime stories about the famous Fullmetal. She remembered everything from her life, even her first word and her time as a baby.

Lucia closed her eyes to remember the good times she had, and she felt tears pour down her face.

**January 5, 1934**

_Risembool, Amestris_

A doctor from Central was here. Pinako had called him when Lucia had woken up to celebrate Christmas. The miracle of Lucia still alive on Christmas made the holiday a lot more cheerful and joyous. She had coughed a few times while opening presents, but to their surprise, there was no blood involved. She was even getting some of her strength back, even though Pinako had helped Lucia down the hallway to the living room. She also had enough strength to play her flute for them, not a sad tune as she did when being pick that past year, but a happy one.

Lucia lay back down after the doctor told her that he was done. He then turned and motioned the adults out to the hall.

When they had done so, the expression on the doctor's face was unreadable.

"What is it, Doctor?" Pinako asked. "What's the diagnosis?"

"It's amazing that she's lived this long," the man said. "Give one pill to her every morning right when she wakes up for the next three weeks and she should live a normal life. She'll live," he finished with a smile, handing to Edward a small bottle of pills.

The adults all let out a sigh of pure relief and happiness.

"But I should warn you," the doctor quickly added. "She may be healed in a month or so, but she won't be completely free from it. She will be scarred for the rest of her life and she may show a couple signs of it from time to time, but rest assured the hardest part is over and dealt with."

That never faltered Edward's smile, but he still kept that in mind.

Because that quote would come in handy in about two years' time.

**April 19, 1941**

_Eastern Countryside_

It was around noon when Lucia Elric finished. The train had stopped at a station to drop some people off and pick some more up.

Lisa really had no idea what to say. She had nothing.

"I see..." she managed to choke out. "That must have been very hard on you."

"It was..." Lucia said, not wavering her non-seeing gaze from the train window.

"I'm guessing that's not the rest of the story, though, is it?"

Lucia wordlessly shook her head.

~3~3~3~3~

A/N: Well? How was it? Did I do alright? Review, please, and tell me. Or favorite or something.


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